deserts galore - enjoy

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Well, I should really start focusing on finding some thrifty healthy student recipes but as I was going through the recipes I had typed up from cookbooks at home, I realised that there are quite a few that I haven't posted yet, so I figured I might as well do it now,  as once I start work, it will be the beginning of not having a life.  Having issues with the fonts and formatting on this again, don't have the patience to try and sort it out - sorry!

For the next recipe, it's a Christmas special: peeling and shooting almonds, trays of drying almonds everywhere and icing the famous x-mas cake with it - good ol' marzipan!

Marzipan

• 200 g ground almonds
• 200 g icing sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp almond essence 

 Mix everything together and if it doesn’t stick, add a little milk.

Next, is the never-fail indispensable recipe for quatre-quarts, perfect for birthday cakes, cupcakes and just plain tea-cake. My favourite thing to do with it is to make ice-cream cone cakes - use flat-bottomed ice-cream cones instead of muffin papers and top with colourful icing and lots of sprinkles.

Quatre Quarts

• 300 g butter
• 300 g sugar
• 4 eggs (5 if small)
• 300 g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder 

Beat sugar and butter till whitish.
Add eggs one by one mixing well after each addition. Mixture should be light and fluffy.
Add flour and baking powder.
Bake in greased and floured mold at 175 C for 45 minutes.

For buttercream icing, combine: 1lb icing sugar, 1/2c butter, 1tsp vanilla extract and 3tbsp milk. Whip it up and if too stiff, add more milk.

Apple crumble. You can't be born in a Popiel household and not have enjoyed it through the Fall! It's the bestest piping hot with vanilla ice-cream.

Apple Crumble

• apples
• cinnamon
• 1 c flour
• 1/4 c butter
• 1/3 c sugar

Cut the apples and put a little sugar on top if they are very sour. Add raisins and oatmeal if wanted.
Mix sugar and flour and run in the butter with fingertips.
Alternatively, for the topping, in a bowl, combine: 1c oatmeal, 1/2c packed brown sugar, 1/3c flour and 1 pinch nutmeg. Drizzle with 1/3c melted butter and mix until well incorporated. Place over the apples.

Ok, hope you have a KitchenAid for the next recipe because you don't want to stand there forever whipping up 14 eggs. I don't think I ever plan to make this cake but it usually comes about around Christmas in order to salvage all the yolks left over from the marzipan making. Make sure to make it well in advance and even ice it the day before as it gets better with time! Thank you Côte d'Or for this recipe.

Tarte au Chocolat Maison

• 6 eggs
• 8 egg yolks
• 300 g white sugar
• 250 g cacao powder
• 400 g dark chocolate
• 1L whipping cream

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Mix the sugar with the eggs until it becomes white and fluffy – don’t attempt this unless you have a machine and patience.
Sift the cacao and the flour together and fold them into the eggs.
Pour into a greased and floured mould (at least 25cm diameter) and cook for 20-40 mins, depends on the size of the mould – beware this cake is huge.
Melt the chocolate and 0.5 L of the cream- leave to cool.
Whip the remaining cream and fold into the chocolate mixture - ! make sure the chocolate mixture is cool or else it will melt the whipped cream.
Cut the cake into 3-4 slices and put the chocolate mousse in between every slice and on top.
Refrigerate, preferably 24 hrs.
Note: to cut the cake evenly, slip a small chopping board under then knife, between the knife and the cake and turn the cake. This will make nice even slices.

Another chocolate cake - courtesy of LeRoy Louis... It looks a little like a lunar landscape but is absolutely delicious. For extra calories, serve with vanilla sauce or raspberry treacle.

Gateau au Chocolat Amer

• 200 g dark chocolate 
• 5 eggs 
• 180 g sugar 
• 180 g butter, softened and cubed 
• 30 g flour

Break chocolate into pieces and melt along with 4 tbsp cold water

Separate eggs and beat yolks with 150 g of the sugar until light and creamy

Add in the melted chocolate, butter and flour.

Whisk whites until starting to rise, add remaining 30 g sugar and whip until stiff

Beat in whites to the chocolate mixture

Pour the batter into greased and sugared round cake tin

Bake 45 minutes

Next, perfect for a tea-time snack, serve with ice cream or custard.

  

Apple Vanilla Sponge 

• 250 g unsalted butter 
• 250 g golden caster sugar (demerara) + vanilla sugar 
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or more if artificial) 
• 4 eggs 
• 3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges 
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar 
• 1/4 cinnamon 
• 250 g self-rising flour (a lot better if you substitute 50 g flour with ground almonds and add 1tsp almond essence)

Preheat oven to 180 C

Grease 20cm springform and line the base with parchment paper

Beat together sugar, vanilla and butter and light and fluffy

Beat in eggs one at the time, mixing well after each addition

Add flour and mix briefly – do not overmix

Tip the mix into tin

Slot the apple wedges on top of the mix – pack them tightly as they shrink

Mix cinnamon and brown sugar and sprinkle over the top

Bake for 1 hour until skewer comes out clean – make sure to check at 50 minutes that it’s not burning

Leave to cool for 10 minutes and then release from tin, leave to cool on wire rack.

Last but not least, a newly found recipe for chocolate mousse. I know we have been pretty faithful to the Callebaut recipe we received years ago from Mme Ketchup, bless her soul, but this one is so much simpler and more likely to succeed everytime - halve it unless you plan to feed an army.

Chocolate Mousse

• 250g bittersweet chocolate
• 1/4c unsalted butter
• 3tbsp liqueur - Kahlua, dark rum or brandy
• 2tbsp water
• 1tsp instant coffee powder
• 4 large eggs - separated
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 180ml/ 3/4c heavy/double cream
• pinch of salt
• 1/4c sugar

1. I can't stand using a bain-marie, so I use a good thick-bottomed pot instead, whatever you prefer, slowly melt the chocolate and butter along with the liqueur, water and coffee powder.
2. Remove from heat and whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
3. Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add vanillla, stir until well blended and set aside in order to let it cool to very tepid.
5. In one bowl, whip the cream until stiff.
6. In a second bowl, combine the egg whites and salt and beat until soft peaks form.
7. Gradually add the sugar and beat until glossy and firm peaks form.
8. Spoon the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and fold it in gently, just enough to mix it, chocolate streaks should still be visible - !! make sure the chocolate mixture is cool before adding the cream or else it will melt.
9. Add the beaten egg whites and fold gently until just blended.
10. Spoon into individual bowls or into one large one. Cover and place in the fridge for a t least 4 hours.